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Reyes, Bonifacio power Blue Jays past Phillies

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Reyes' three-run blast 0:48

3/2/13: Jose Reyes jacks his first homer in a Blue Jays uniform, a three-run shot that puts Toronto on top 7-4

By Gregor Chisholm

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jose Reyes homered for the first time this spring and drove in three runs as the Blue Jays jumped all over the Phillies en route to an 11-6 victory on a windy Saturday afternoon at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

The breezy conditions created some headaches for pitchers on both clubs and led to a lot of production at the plate. With the wind blowing out, the Blue Jays hit two homers and the Phillies hit three.

Reyes' impressive afternoon began in the first when he doubled to right field off left-hander Cliff Lee. He added a single in the second before coming through in the fourth with a three-run shot over the wall in right field off right-hander Tyler Cloyd.

The 29-year-old Reyes was playing in his final game before departing for the World Baseball Classic. In five games this spring, he is hitting .643 (9-for-14) with one homer, three RBIs, a stolen base and four runs scored. Reyes also has displayed some impressive work in the field and seems to be rounding into form far earlier than normal.

Emilio Bonifacio also homered to left for the Blue Jays with a solo shot in the second. Other standouts for Toronto included Melky Cabrera and Moises Sierra, who both recorded RBI doubles.

Lee was charged with three runs on five hits while striking out three over three innings. Cloyd then came on in relief and proceeded to surrender six runs over just two innings.

"I missed up in the zone a few times," Lee said. "Obviously, with the wind blowing the way it is, you need to keep the ball down. I did miss up, and they hit a few doubles and a home run due to that. But other than that, I felt fine. ... It's just an element you've got to deal with. It's just part of it."

No. 1 starter R.A. Dickey got the call for Toronto and experienced some difficulty before settling into the game. He surrendered back-to-back doubles in the first and proceeded to serve up a deep two-run homer to first baseman Ryan Howard.

Dickey got through the first and then faced just one batter over the minimum in the second and third innings. He was charged with three runs on four hits while striking out one and throwing 32 of his 43 pitches for strikes. His next outing will come for Team USA in the Classic.

"I felt good today and I feel like where I need to be," Dickey said. "My strike percentage again was pretty high, and I was ahead of just about every hitter. So mechanically I felt pretty good, and these first two or three outings, that's what it's about for me.

"It's about getting my body prepared to be able to grow from here. I still have to settle in to about three or four miles an hour in velocity, and that should come over the next two weeks."

Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz also got in on the action with a solo shot in the fourth off right-hander Josh Johnson. The Ruiz homer was Johnson's only blemish of the afternoon, as he surrendered just the one hit while striking out one over two innings.

Up next: Left-hander Ricky Romero will make his second start of the spring when the Blue Jays visit the Phillies in a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday at Bright House Field. Romero is expected to be followed on the mound by Sergio Santos, Aaron Loup, Brett Cecil and Justin Germano. Right-hander Aaron Cook will get the start for Philadelphia.